~ Farm life, knitting and spinning, cooking and family

Lesson 2

Today was lesson # 2, same horse, and I haltered him and brought him from the field unassisted. I managed to saddle and bridle him also unassisted after our grooming session. Today’s instructor was a sub and we were sharing the riding arena with another horse and rider, the horse not accustomed to sharing the ring, but it worked out for everyone well. We used half the ring and she used the other half and when one or the other needed the entire ring, we managed it ok.

We got a bit more style instruction, a lot more trotting and I am surprisingly, to me, unafraid of the faster, bouncier motion. Nippers, my ride, needs lots of encouragement to move fast enough to notice, but seems to be a gentle, round bellied paint. The sub seemed a bit surprised that it was only my second lesson. Maybe there is hope that I will actually adapt to this.

The past few days have been unseasonable warm, near summer temps during the day and any toil, horse related, bull chasing, dog walking have been uncomfortable. The weather forecast shows a significant change over the next few days, with nights in the mid 20’s, rain, perhaps snow. Our lesson on Monday might be a bit more unpleasant for us. I think my wardrobe is going to gain the addition of a barn jacket if we are going to continue riding this winter and having to deal with our own animals by next fall.